10 Questions with ... Dan Balla

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Started in high school doing news and DJ in Lapeer, Michigan. Great college radio experience at Central Michigan University, followed by gigs in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Houghton Lake, my first PD job in Oshkosh, WI, jock in Milwaukee, more PD stops at WMMQ Lansing, KRXO Oklahoma City, and KKRW Houston; then OM for Clear Channel cluster in Columbia, SC and Cumulus cluster in Mobile, AL. Moved to DFW in 2006, moonlighted as a news anchor with Metro Networks/KRLD while venturing into teaching, science and social studies at Frisco ISD. An opportunity in ownership developed in 2008 with KWFB Wichita Falls. I enticed a group of angel investors to help us add KXXN in 2012. Other owners of Falls Media, LLC included David Stewart, Fred Morton and Dan Halyburton.  

1.  How did you first become interested in radio?

My older brothers and sisters were into music yet none of them ventured into radio. My late brother took care of Tony Iommi's guitars as a roadie for Black Sabbath in the early 80's. I started paying attention to radio and CKLW when I was 8. I fell in love with underground and rock radio in the early 70's, and began requesting tours at radio stations while in high school. A passion developed for music and radio back then that has been dented but has never gone away.

2.  What led you to the GM position at UNT in September 2020?

Alan Albarran, former department chair for UNT's Radio-TV-Film department, invited me to join their Executive Board in 2011. It was fun to share my vision and connect with faculty and students. Driving back and forth from Lewisville to Wichita Falls wore me down after 10 years. When GM Russ Campbell retired in 2019 after several decades at KNTU, I applied for the job. The university was fine with me retaining ownership of Falls Media.

3.  Why did KNTU flip from Jazz to Alternative in August 2022?

Shortly after I began at KNTU, administrators and faculty at UNT questioned the health of the Jazz format that had been in place for five decades. They were disappointed that a 100,000-watt FM serving most of the DFW metro had so little audience. We could only garner 20,000-30,000 weekly cume, and 100-200 AQH persons. Finding underwriters was like pulling teeth. Donations were weak. Students liked learning about radio, however most were not passionate about the lowly Jazz station. I respect the arts but we are not a museum. Jazz had its place for years, and it was time for a change. Things at a university move painfully slow. Format discussions took place and were tabled. I reached out to Fred Jacobs, who was my consultant at several stations dating back to the 80's. If there was one person I trusted with a format decision, it was Fred. I wanted to work with Jacobs Media again. He agreed with my thoughts on Alternative. We wanted to explore all options. Various formats including Classic Rock and AAA were discussed via Zoom with Fred, Mike Stern, Associate Dean Steve Cobb, our OM Mark Lambert and me. We kept coming back to Alternative. On July 29th at noon, as "My Way" by Frank Sinatra faded, an announcement by Mark Lambert alerted listeners of the change, and Jazz would be streaming plus soon on HD. 88.1 indie gave birth as "Icky Thump" by White Stripes filled the airwaves. Within minutes, a five-alarm shitstorm ensued. Thousands of Jazz fans accompanied by many who never listened to Jazz jumped on the social media complaint bandwagon. They called it a colossal mistake, demanded I be fired, and claimed ratings would go lower – not even statistically possible. They were convinced Jazz would return if they yelled loud enough. The university backed us, and indie was allowed to continue. During the next four months, KNTU cume quadrupled from 20,000 to 80,000 while AQH jumped from 200 to 1200. Jazz fans were happy when their format returned to 88.1 HD-2.

4.  Give us the 411 on 88.1 indie – Independent Noncommercial Alternative for Dallas-Fort Worth. Tell us about the music and who the station is targeting.

88.1 indie targets adults 18-49. The indie moniker represents our independent status. Some have compared us to the old Edge format, which I take as a compliment. I did not want to mimic Alt 103.7 KVIL, which had rebounded nicely in 2022 from a slump. To set us apart, Mike Stern suggested we feature a heavy diet of currents. The 2000 to 2020 era is strong, too. Gold selection is familiar. We found a lane between AAA KKXT and KVIL. There's a myth that college radio stations are listened to only by college students. College students comprise less than 1% of our audience. Some believe college radio should be comprised of music you can't hear anywhere else, stuff that doesn't appeal to the masses. I do not agree. Would you open a restaurant with an obscure menu that only appeals to a few people? Weird college radio is fine when audience size does not matter and there's a large funnel of cash coming from the university. We don't have the luxury of rich parents paying our way. There are operating expenses, so growing an audience and revenue matters. This aspect alone is a good lesson for students to learn whether you like it or not. I think that our growth will be slow and organic since we cannot afford mass marketing. Our strongest cell is Persons 25-34. Eventually, more 35+ will come to the party.     

5.  How much new music are you playing?

We are playing on average 6 currents / recurrents per hour. Recent adds include 'Madman's Eyes" by Dave Matthews Band and "Love From The Other Side" by Fall Out Boy.

6.  Who is on the 88.1 indie team?

There are four full-time staff including OM Mark Lambert, Engineer Randy Smith, and Zac Babb, who runs our sports streaming network NTSN, where students do a live audio-video broadcast of high school games. Mike Stern and Seth Resler from Jacobs Media are a huge part of the indie brain trust. I have incredible trust and respect for these guys. Seth is great with guiding students to produce content for our website, social media platforms, and e-blasts to the "Indie Music Committee." Mike has a keen sense for music. He introduced me to Jacent Jackson, who produces our imaging featuring Rena-Marie Villano. Other talent includes Mark Schectman, a former Edge jock who worked at KNTU as a student. Mark does our Live Wire concert calendar. Current UNT students occupy about a dozen part-time positions including promotions, social media, production, podcasts, marketing and underwriting. They love the experience. Also, we have an unfilled opening for a new full-time staff position in sales.

7.  You mentioned the station has a new antenna since last November. How has that impacted the 88.1 indie's coverage area?

For years, I had noticed that the signal was basically non-existent in Dallas and Tarrant counties. Flutter was common 20+ miles south of the tower. In November 2022, we replaced a 35-year-old directional north mounted Jampro antenna with a new ERI non-directional antenna facing south to the metroplex. Our engineer Randy Smith did an excellent job managing the upgrade. The new antenna has given 88.1 a much improved signal across the metroplex. The addition of HD really helps since our HD is present and crystal clear across Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Frisco, Plano, McKinney, etc.  

8.  What would surprise people most about the station?

Some university stations struggle to find students who want to work there. I've heard managers swear that 18 and 19-year-olds have zero interest in radio. That's not the case at UNT. Students seek us out and thrive in our semi-professional environment. Experiencing the format change was an education itself for the students working for us.

9.  What is your favorite part of your job?

I love hearing from people who just discovered our station. I really like helping students learn about radio. It is especially rewarding when I can help them find a job after college. One of the main reasons I took this job was to help generate interest among young people, you know, the ones who will someday be the movers and shakers in radio.

10.  Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?

 …wondering where the radio industry would be today if large corporations had not shot us in the foot.

What are weekends like for you?

Going out with friends to enjoy the many wonderful restaurants in DFW. I like watching sports and catching up on sleep. 

What are your favorite places to eat in the Dallas Fort-Worth area?

There are too many to list, but a few favs are Mexican Sugar, Tupelo Honey, and any place with Kenny's name on it.

Rank your sports teams in order of passion.

Michigan Wolverines would be first, but I don't disclose that to anyone around here, especially TCU fans. I also have taken a liking to FC Dallas, long before they became an underwriter at KNTU.

First record ever purchased?

I cannot recall my first 45, but my first vinyl albums were a birthday gift from my parents in 1972: "Harvest" by Neil Young and "America."   

First concert?

Aerosmith, Foghat, and Ted Nugent at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1975. They closed with "Train Kept A Rollin" and I was never the same.

Favorite band of all-time?

There isn't just one on my list. I like Coldplay, Wet Leg, U2. All-time favs would have to include Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Yep, I'm old.